Sound-box.



Patented; Apr. 30, 1918.-

' l/VVEA/TOR WITNESS TTOH/VEY incisor.

ILQUIS MENGE, F EBLS'E QEANGE, NEW JERSEY,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apia. 3 d, 11%118.

Application filcd April 7, 1916. Serial No. 39,704.

, 1 To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LLOUIs Manon, a citif Zen of the United States, residing at East Orange, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sound-Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates in general to sound transmitting mechanisms and specifically relates to improvements in recording and reproducing sound boxes for gramaphones,

phonographs, and'like machines which e1nploy a vibratory diaphragm in connection with a stylus arm or lever operatlvely associated with the diaphragm to transmitmotionto and from the same,

It .is well known in the phonographlc a trade at present that different types of sound boxes now on the market respond diii'erently to the diflerent characters of records used.

lilorinstance, a machine using one form of ;sound box gives the most pleasing efi'ect when used with a record having high vibratory notes, such as a violin record; while another form of sound box responds best to some other character of record such as a vocal record. It is generally true that each sound box works best with only one or pos ,sibly two similar types of records. Under these-conditions an obvious objection to the .known types of sound boxes now in general use is that they are not susceptible of giving uniformly good results with the difierent c forms of records and accordingly one of the objects of my invention is to provide a ,sound box capable of being quickly adjusted to best suit the particular character of playing record in use.

this sharp note efiect and to provide a sound ,box which while accurately reproducing the lit basic sounds originally produced on the r 0- 0rd, at. the sametime will mellow the repro-' duced tones so as to give a rich, full timbre without depriving the tones of their full musical note values.

l attain this latter object broadly by. providing a very thin and sensitive vibratory diaphragm formed from a specially'adapted Wood and by securing toithe diaphragm one end of a relatively light and delicately pivoted stylus arm the other end of which arm is designed to have a playing stylus operatively mounted therein. As a furtherrefinement in the stylus arm. feature of my invention, 1 construct the same from a rela tively small tuning fork, the free ends of the prongs of which are fixed to the diaphragm transversely of the line of grain-therein.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obvious from an inspection of the accompanying drawings and in part will be more fully set forth in the following particular description of one form of mechanism embodying my invention, and the invention also consists in certain new and novel features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a face view shown in plan of a sound box illustrating a preferred form of my invention; and

Fig. 2 is a central sectional view taken approximately on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

The sound box comprises a fiat cylindrical casing 23, preferably of metal, provided with the usual tubular extension at, extending from the rear face of the diaphragm 5, through the casing. is recessed to provide an annular shoulder 6 for supporting the vibratory diaphragm at its outer edge. It is essential to the best re sults that the diaphragm be of light weight compared to its area and as herein shown, this diaphragm is in the form of a thin, flat, fine-grained, wooden disk, preferably with the grain even and extending in one general direction. An excellent form oi. diaphragm for this purpose has been formed of well seasoned spruce treated with. a thin shellac, allowed to dry slowly and sand-papered to One face of the casing a thickness of about one hundredth of an inch, but a diaphragm. of less thickness is preferable, provided, however, that it have a thickness sufficient to insure a rapid elasticity. j I

A stylus arm 7, is pivoted intermediate its length to a bracket 8, demountably atfixed .to the periphery of the, casing 8 and arranged to swing aboutan parallel to. the plane of the diaphragm. with devices of this charac't otal. connection, however,

The piv in. this case In as is usual lie;

meager 2. In a sound box, the combination with a wooden vibratory diaphragm having the grain thereof extending in one direction, a stylus arm having two prongs integrally connected, the free ends of said prongs being fixed to the diaphragmtransversely of the direction of the lines of the grain.

3. In a sound box, the combination with a vibratory diaphragm, of a stylus arm in operative engagement with the diaphragm to actuate the same and a diaphragm dampening device carried by the arm free to vibrate therewith and shiftable thereon to .and from thepoint of engagement of the arm with the diaphragm, said dampening device being rigid thereby to stiffen the portion of the arm engaged thereby.

4. In a sound box, the combination with. a vibratory diaphragm, of a stylus arm in operative engagement with the diaphragm to actuate the same and a diaphragm dampening device in the form of a channel member with the arm slidably positioned in the channel and free to vibrate therewith, shiftable thereon to and from the point of engagement of the arm with the diaphragm said device including'means for locking the same in set position on the arm.

5. In a sound-box, the combination with a vibratory diaphragm and a stylus arm provided with two prongs associated with the diaphragm, a bridge free to vibrate with the stylus arm connecting the prongs, the bridge being slidable to and from the diaphragm thereby to effect the normal free swing of the diaphragm.

6. In a sound box, the combination with a vibratory diaphragm, and a stylus arm provided with a plurality of prongs operatively associated with the diaphragm and means shiftable along the length of the prongs for varying the length of the portion of the prongs in advance of said shiftable means which engage the diaphragm and which have relatively independent move ment.

7. In a sound box, the combination with a vibratory diaphragm and a stylus arm in the form of a tuning fork, the free ends of the prongs of said fork being in operative engagement with the diaphragm to transmit vibratory motion and means shiftable along the length of the prongs for holding the prongs against relative movement and for affecting the prong lengths of said tuning fork stylus arm which have relatively independent movement.

lid

8. The method of regulating thi-rreproduction of sound from a sound box, which a lightwooden vibratory diaphragm having the grain thereof extending in one direction, and a stylus arm having two prongs integrally connected, the free ends of said prongs being fixed to the diaphragm trans; versely of the direction of the lines of the grain. 10. In a sound box, the combination with a light wooden vibratory diaphragm having the grain thereof extending in one direction, astylus arm having two prongs integrally connected, the :tree ends of said prongs being fixed to the diaphragm transversely of the direction of the lines of the grain.

Signed at Newark in the county of Essex and State of N. J., this 5th day of April, a. 1)., i916. LUUIS MEN GE. 

